Inside Circle Track

NASCAR fan experience like no other major sport

Imagine fans on the field just meandering around literally minutes before the start of an NFL game. Or, excited patrons on the court posing for photos with and seeking autographs from NBA players right up until the time for the national anthem to be played. Well, neither of those things is going to happen prior to an official game. In NASCAR, however, fans interacting with the stars of the sport prior to an event is a common occurrence every week. Fans have unprecedented access to their favorites in the garage areas of the different tracks and even on pit roads…

NASCAR Cup Series Starting Lineup and Standings – Atlanta

The starting lineup for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway: The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series points standings going into the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

Detailed Breakdown of a NASCAR Pit Stop

These photos were taken during a pit stop by the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team for Kyle Larson during the Ally 400 at the Nashville Super Speedway. This was their second pit stop of the day and it occurred during the first stage break of the race. Everything demonstrated in the photos below takes place in 12 seconds or less. The No. 5 team had the last stall on pit road, or the first stall from the driver’s perspective. Larson turns into the pit stall slowing from the pit road speed of 45mph. Only five crew members are allowed across the…

NASCAR Headshot Photos

Here are some headshot photos of numerous NASCAR personalities taken during the Ally 400 weekend at Nashville Super Speedway: Please consider watching: Respond to this post on Twitter by following @RichardAllenIDR and @MichaelRMoats or by liking the InsideCircleTrack.com Facebook page. Also, dirt racing fans can check out InsideDirtRacing.com for more racing content.

Turn 2 Blog: Nashville Super Speedway or Fairgrounds Speedway?

*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideCircleTrack.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the NASCAR and pavement short track racing topics of the day. How does any work get done in a NASCAR garage area crowded with fans? Richard: I don’t go to a lot of NASCAR races as a media member but this weekend at Nashville I was reminded of just how many people are allowed access into the areas where team members are preparing the cars literally just before those machines are to be rolled onto the starting…

NASCAR needs Nashville and Nashville needs NASCAR

Throughout much of its early history, NASCAR racing was intertwined with the city of Nashville. The venerable Fairgrounds Speedway hosted all three of the sanctioning body’s top divisions with the Cup Series competing there from 1958 to 1984. But the city and the top level of the sport parted ways and remained separated for several years until 2021 when the NASCAR Cup Series returned to middle Tennessee by contesting an event at the Nashville Super Speedway. Since then, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have won the two Cup Series events held on the 1.33-mile track. That concrete-surfaced facility held NASCAR…

Which current “outsiders” will barge into the NASCAR Playoffs party?

Winning at least one race was pretty much essential for making the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs. Austin Dillon’s win at Daytona in the regular season finale left Ryan Blaney as the only winless driver to have a shot at the championship following the cutoff race. But things seem to be working out differently this season as it appears as though there will not be as many different victors after the 26th race on the schedule as was the case last year. There are 16 available Playoff spots with race winners getting first dibs. Those who rank highest in points without a…

Chase Elliott might not be the only driver in a “must win” situation

With there having been 10 NASCAR Cup Series winners in the 16 completed races held so far in the 2023 season, the number of available spots in the NASCAR Playoffs are quickly becoming spoken for. There are 10 remaining events to be held before the cutoff will be made to determine those 16 drivers who will compete for the championship with six spots still to be determined. In 2022, there were 16 different winners in the first 26 races(keep in mind that Kurt Busch had won but could not compete in the Playoffs for medical reasons). Since winning a race…

Turn 2 Blog: Rating Fox’s NASCAR coverage for 2023

*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideCircleTrack.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the NASCAR and pavement short track racing topics of the day. What drivers have surprised you(good or bad) going into the break? Richard: I’m going to start with those who have surprised me most on the positive side. I thought it would take a while for Kyle Busch to get acclimated to Richard Childress Racing and it would take a while for RCR to get acclimated to Kyle Busch. There have been a couple of instances that…

NASCAR penalties to the Chases were harsh … and they should have been

NASCAR dropped the hammer on one particular driver and one particular team this past week and they should have. In both cases, either a clearly stated rule was violated or an unwritten no-no in which the sanctioning body had already established a precedent was committed. Without strong penalties, rules, whether written or not, have no teeth. Unless you have been in complete seclusion for a week, you probably already know that Chase Elliott will be sitting out this weekend’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis. The decision to suspend the sport’s most popular driver and…